


But You Did

by Rubyleaf



Category: DAYS (Anime & Manga)
Genre: (throws feels at you), Future Fic, Listen I know this is cheesy, M/M, and feelings, and hopefully AU because I don't want them to part ways after graduation, but I hope loving this ship raises your cheese tolerance level, have some angst that turns into happiness, me experimenting with a different narrative style, more atmosphere than plot TBH
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 09:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10682064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubyleaf/pseuds/Rubyleaf
Summary: After four years of not seeing each other, Kimishita doesn't expect to meet Kiichi again. Unfortunately for him, fate has other plans in store.





	But You Did

We haven’t seen each other in four years.

Now should be the point where I add that I have no idea what you’re doing these days, and I wonder how things are for you. But that would be a lie. I know what you’re doing now. Everyone does. All I need is to open a sports magazine, and there you are, in all the reports, in spreads, interviews, millions of pictures.

A rising star, they call you these days. The new hope of the soccer world. They make bold comparisons, speculations on your future, predicting a bright, beautiful career ahead. Some people wonder if you’ll make it on the national team this year. I don’t wonder about that. I know you will. And I’m your teammate; I should know.

No, that’s not accurate anymore. I’m not your teammate. I used to be once, for six years. Not that it means anything now.

Do you remember our graduation, I wonder? I still do, in every detail. I remember the rain beating down on me on the way to school. I remember the sky clearing up and the sun coming out and the fresh spring breeze that sent a flurry of cherry petals raining down on us and getting caught in our clothes and hair. I remember the speeches, word for word, as if someday I’ll have to recite them myself. I remember our underclassmen from the team, showering us with gifts and good wishes and tears.

And I remember you, standing next to me with your jaw set tight and tears in your eyes, pretending to be tough and failing miserably. I remember you standing in front of me, your hands fiddling with the top buttons of your shirt, looking like you wanted to say something you didn’t have the courage to say. I remember the tears in your eyes finally spilling out and starting to stream down your face, and I remember you pulling me into your arms, sobbing uncontrollably and crushing my ribcage. _Let’s keep in touch,_ you said. _We’ll definitely keep in touch, right?_

But we didn’t. You were busy. I was busy, too. And the next time I looked, you were already so far away that I couldn’t reach you anymore.

I’ve still got your number saved in my phone. I don’t know why. You must have changed. You’re famous now. A star, like you always wanted. You’re living an exciting life, riding on the wave of success, like you always wanted. You have no reason to even remember my name.

I should delete your number. You’re out of my reach. It must have changed since then, anyway. And even if it hasn’t, there’s no point in calling you anymore.

After all, why should you still see me as an equal? I’m not a celebrity. I’m not successful. I’m just a starving college student who can’t keep his friends or his part-time job.

And now I’m back home for a week, and I don’t know why I can still turn up here at all. I don’t get why Pops isn’t disappointed. I am. I wanted to do so much, and ever since graduation it’s like I forgot how to do anything. All while you can suddenly do everything you never could before. Funny how that works, huh.

It’s late. I unpacked my stuff and had dinner with my old man, and now I’m outside, walking the streets. There are loud voices somewhere behind me. Music, too. Must be a festival or something. I don’t care. It’s not like I have any yakisoba to sell tonight.

My feet carry me away from the noise, away from the voices and loud music. I don’t want to risk running into anyone I know right now. Not in the mood for socializing. Instead I walk into a different street, and before I know it my feet take me down a familiar path.

I stop in my tracks. Where am I going? There’s no point in heading to that place. It holds nothing for me anymore, nothing except old memories and stupid nostalgia.

It’s just to check, I tell myself. Make sure everything still looks the same. That’s all. After tonight I’m never visiting the place again.

Taking a deep breath, I walk down the road, turn familiar corners, walking past places I once knew well. They’ve changed since back then. The bookstore across the street disappeared with only a sign that they’ve moved. There’s a new grocery store right next to it, too bright and new and flashy for this run-down part of the city. I try to remember what was there before it came. I can’t recall.

And then there it is. Seiseki High School.

It still looks exactly the same.

I should probably stop here. I know how the school grounds look. The place is closed now, of course; it’s late and it’s a weekend and probably summer break. It’s deserted. Nothing to see here.

Nothing to see here... and nobody to see me if I climbed over the fence and–

No. I won’t break into my old school. I’m not stupid.

My hands grip the fence. But the pitch... I want to see the soccer field again. Just one more time. Then I’ll leave and never come back.

Looking right and left, I set my foot against the fence and climb onto the school grounds.

It’s so quiet. It’s like I climbed straight into another world. There are no sounds here, no movements except for the ones I make. The only things moving here are the pictures in my head. Pictures after pictures. People. Faces. So many faces. Faces I might not even know the names to. They’re everywhere, everywhere I look. I can see the team, our classmates, the teachers. They’re right here, so real I could touch them until I try and they disappear in the blink of an eye.

And there’s you. I can see you everywhere. You’re in every step, every corner, every path and wall and every goddamn window. I have so many memories of you. Why do I remember you so clearly? Why you of all people? Why in the world am I so damn attached to you?

No use thinking about it. That’s not why I came here.

I turn the last corner, and suddenly there it is. Stretching out in front of me, wide and silvery in the moonlight, glistening with wet dew, the scent of freshly cut grass in the air. Vast and untouched. I’ve never seen it so quiet. But it’s still the same. Exactly the same.

I’m home.

My gaze roams over the field. Memories come flooding back like a storm tide. Suddenly I’m seventeen again, heading for the locker room to get ready for practice.

My eyes rest on the other side of the pitch. And I freeze. Blink. Blink again.

It can’t be.

Impossible. I’m dreaming. It must be an illusion just like all the others. A very vivid memory.

But then why won’t it go away? Why won’t it disappear and fade just like all the others? It can’t be... No. No. It can’t be real.

What are you doing here?

I must be seeing things. There’s no way you’re here, at the soccer pitch of our old high school. You should be somewhere else. Anywhere. But not here. You shouldn’t be here.

But you can’t be a memory. You look different from the way you did back then. Your haircut has changed, and I don’t remember seeing this shirt on you either. You’re not an illusion. You’re real.

You’re real, and you’re here.

Why?

Why are you here? Why did you come here? Why today? Why now of all times?

I should leave. I should run and get out of here before you spot me. Before you recognize me. Please don’t recognize me.

I try to turn around, but my body won’t move. I want to run, but my feet are glued to the ground. All I can do is stand here and hope you’ll leave.

You turn my way. Our gazes meet.

Time stops.

I’m shaking on the inside. I want to run. I want to leave. Turn around and get out of here and never come back. Pretend this was all a bad dream.

Please don’t recognize me.

My body is frozen. I can’t move. Please... why can’t I move? Damn it, I want to run, I want to–

You look at me and take a step onto the lawn.

My body is still frozen in place.

You take another step, and then another one. You start walking. Pick up your speed. You keep moving closer and closer, and there’s nothing I can do except watch and wonder. And dread how you will act around me, what you’re going to say.

Then you start running, and suddenly my body is free. It acts before I can think. Before I know what I’m doing I’m running to, right across the field, towards you. Faster and faster.

What am I doing? Why am I running to meet you? No... that’s not the question. Why are you running to meet me? Why are you so excited to see the guy who never even called you after we graduated? Are you an idiot?

I should stop. I should turn back. This is wrong. We shouldn’t be doing this. What should I do when we meet in the middle? You have different people now, you don’t need me anymore, and I... I can’t show you. I can’t let you know how much I’ve hoped to see you again, how much I missed you. I know you can’t have felt the same.

But you still keep running. We’re about to crash right into each other, and still you’re not slowing down. You open your arms. It’s an invitation.

I swallow my fears and run right into you.

For a second I don’t know what’s happening. All I feel is the warmth that envelops me, your arms wrapped around me, sweeping me up and holding me close. You’re breathing hard. Your heart is pounding. You smell just like you did back then, like mint and summer and something I don’t understand. Your breath is warm in my hair. We’re standing on the same ground we stood on all those years ago, hundreds and thousands of times.

I look up, straight into your eyes, and I can’t breathe. There are so many feelings in them. I don’t have a name for them all, but I know every single one of them. They’re the exact same feelings I feel... the same feelings I’ve felt for so long. The same feelings, written all over your face, shining in your eyes as if you don’t even care about hiding them all. I can still read you like an open book.

It’s you. It’s still you. Even if you look different, even if you’ve changed. Even if I haven’t seen you in years, you’re still the same. You’re still the Kiichi I know. You’re still... my Kiichi.

I pull closer. Damn it, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed _you,_ every part of you, every inch of your body and soul and every emotional outburst and every one of your stupid smiles. I didn’t think I’d ever meet you again. I still don’t understand what you’re doing here or how you found me or why the hell you’re not angry at me for staying out of touch all this time, but right now it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that you’re here. Right here. With me.

My Kiichi.

I’ve been so stupid. I’ve been delusional, blind. What ever made me think that you wouldn’t want to see me anymore just because you’re a soccer pro now? What made me think you could look down on me just because you’re famous? I should never have cut you off. I should have trusted you. But I was stupid, and I didn’t, and now we’ve lost four years we could have spent together. Four years. Four whole goddamn years.

I’m so sorry. I’ve hurt you too. I’m so sorry, Kiichi.

Your grip tightens on my shirt. Something wet falls down on my shoulder. I bring up a hand to touch your face. It’s wet with tears. Why are you crying?

Why am _I_ crying?

I hide my face in your shoulder. You tighten your hold on me. I can barely breathe. You’re about to crush my ribcage, you moron. But I don’t care. I don’t care about anything anymore. I’ve got my idiot back. We still have so many things to talk about, a million misunderstandings to clear up and issues to resolve, but let’s leave that for tomorrow. For now everything is clear as day.

I’ve finally got my idiot back, and this time I won’t cut him off again.

I don’t know how long we stay like this. Maybe minutes, maybe hours. The world seems to have stopped. I close my eyes and rest my head against you, my arms still wrapped around your back. Maybe the world really will stop now. I wouldn’t mind staying like this until it starts turning again.

Voices make their way over to us. There are fireworks exploding in the distance. We look up, but all we can see from here is a faint flicker of colored light behind rows of rooftops.

We look at each other. I can’t help smiling. You smile right back, leaning your forehead against mine as you say the three words I’ve wanted to hear you say for so long.

“Atsushi, I’m home.”


End file.
